Control knobs, or simply knobs, are commonly used on a variety of commercial and residential appliances to control an operating condition of the appliance. Knobs are particularly common on cooking appliances, such as stoves or cooktops. For gas cooktops, or gas ranges, the knobs may be positioned on a control surface of the gas cooktop and mechanically connected to a control valve via a control rod. The control valve may regulate a flow of combustible gas to a respective gas burner of the cooking appliance. Accordingly, the knob may control an amount of heat provided to, e.g., a cooking appliance on the respective gas burner.
At least certain gas cooktops additionally include a plurality of lighting devices positioned below the control surface of the cooktop for providing light to the control surface around a respective knob. Each of the plurality of lighting devices may be mounted around a respective control rod extending between the respective knob and valve.
Gas cooktops typically also include a plurality of switches, each switch attached to a respective control rod extending between a respective knob and valve. Each of the switches are typically mounted below the respective lighting devices and spaced from the respective lighting devices. The switches may provide a spark to a respective gas burner to ignite the combustible fuel provided to such gas burner.
However, such a configuration may occupy a relatively large footprint beneath a surface of the gas cooktop. Accordingly, a gas cooktop having a lighting device, a switch, and a control valve associated with a respective control knob configured in a more space efficient manner would be useful.